Let Someday Begin
by hoffkk
Summary: Josh makes a special promise to Maya. Years later, he comes to collect on that promise and much more, despite their meddling families getting in the way! Warning: Involves singing, gambling, and a New Year's kiss! ;)


Maya smiled in excitement as she, Shawn, and a very pregnant Katy entered the student center in the middle of the New York University campus. There was a charity event being hosted by the university where the music majors and professors put together a music festival for the public featuring all the different music majors' skills and talents. When Josh mentioned that he was performing with a couple of his buddies, the Matthews and Hunter clans bought tickets right away. Maya was of course excited to see Josh, but she was also excited to be on campus. NYU was her dream school. She just sent in her application the other day and couldn't wait to hear back.

She took in everything about the student center as she led the way upstairs to the ballroom where they found Riley and her family chatting with Josh's parents. As the Hunters made their way over, they all began exchanging their hellos and how are yous and anticipation over seeing Josh perform. After a minute, the conversation switched to Katy's pregnancy and her upcoming due date. That was when Riley pulled Maya to the side and squealed excitedly,

"NYU is SO cool! I can't believe we may _actually_ be students here next year!"

"I know, but first we have to _actually_ be accepted." Maya retorted, ever the realist.

"Oh, please! You are a shoe in with your artwork, and I have a good feeling that academic scholarship is coming my way. Come next year, we are gonna rule the school!"

"Whatever you say, Honey." Maya smiled.

"I can picture it now... us sharing a dorm, eating lunch at the caf, and we can become Gamma sisters!" Riley beamed.

"I don't think rushing is my thing, but the other stuff sounds good." Maya relented, letting herself imagine what life would be like living on campus.

Suddenly, the lights started to flicker on and off slowly, the university's way of saying the show was about to start. Quickly, they all found their seats and waited. One by one, the performances came and went, each one blowing Maya away. Some had one person, some had groups. The songs themselves ranged from classical and jazzy to country western to indie rock to rap and hip-hop and everything in between, some having lyrics to them, while others were purely instrumental. The one thing they all had in common was their amazing sound.

After about ten or song performances, Josh and his friends were announced. The curtain opened and Maya smiled as she saw him standing there looking cuter than ever as he sat on a stool in a blue button down, dark-wash jeans, styled hair, and microphone in hand. There were three guys with him on stage, one with an acoustic guitar, one behind a drum set, and another with smaller instruments that she couldn't quite make out. After a moment, the music began and Josh's voice drifted over the audience...

 ** _"Seeing something from so far away  
Get a little closer every day  
Thinking that I want to make it mine  
I'd run for you if I could stand  
But what I want I can't demand  
Cuz what I want is you..."_**

Maya couldn't believe what she was hearing. His voice was amazing, light yet a little gravelly, but it was the lyrics that go to her. Was it possible that this song was about her? What was she thinking ? Of course it wasn't. At least, that was what Maya was trying to convince herself, but then she heard the next few lyrics.

 ** _"And if I can't be yours now  
I'll wait here on this ground  
Til you come, til you take me away  
Maybe someday  
Maybe someday."_**

When Josh sang the last two lines, looking directly into Maya's bright blues, there wasn't a doubt in Maya's mind that this song was a promise to her. Getting misty-eyed, she took a deep breath, squeezed Riley's hand and listen to the rest of the song. The song ended just as sweetly as it begin when Josh looked at her once more and sang,

 ** _"And if I can't be yours now  
I'll wait here on this ground  
Til you come, til you take me away  
Maybe someday  
Maybe someday."_**

As the sound of the instruments faded away shortly after, the crowd burst into applause. Maya quickly wiped away a stray tear before joining her standing family and friends and clapping too.

After a minute, the curtain closed and a spotlight appeared on an older gentleman with shoulder length dark hair wearing a suit jacket and nice jeans. He introduced himself as a professor of music, thanked, the crowd for coming out, and announced that it was time for intermission.

In response people stood to stretch their legs, use the bathroom, and get refreshments from the hall. Shawn took Katy to pee for the fourth time since they'd gotten there, while Maya joined the Matthews clan outside for some snacks. They were taking in the assortment of goodies on the long table when a familiar voice called out,

"My brotha!"

They turned to find Josh standing there with a big smile on his face. The Matthews all took turns hugging him and telling him what a good job he did performing, causing him to blush. Once, his family got distracted once more by all the snacks, he strolled over to Maya.

Maya stared at him for a moment, admiring how the blue in his shirt brought out the blue in his eyes.

"So..." Josh said quietly, looking suddenly nervous as he shoved his hands inside his pockets. "What did you think?"

Maya smiled and said sweetly, "The song was beautiful. I really loved it. _Really_." She added the last bit as she place a hand on his arm reassuringly.

"Good." He said, his smile growing bigger as he felt a weight lift from his shoulders. "Because I meant every word."

It got quiet for a couple seconds as they stood there grinning at each other stupidly until Maya picked up a plastic cup of lemonade from the table, lifted it toward him and said,

"To someday?"

Smirking, Josh picked up a drink of his own and repeated, "To someday."

The two of them clicked their cups together and each took a sip of the cool drink, not looking away from the other's gaze the whole time.

A second later, the moment was interrupted by Riley appearing back at Maya's side and informing her,

"I got a lemonade and a snicker-doodle! You want anything or are you ready to head back in?"

"I'm good with my drink." Maya said, lifting up the cup in question before adding, "Let's go."

"Okay, bye Uncle Josh!" Riley said as she waved as best she could with a large cookie in her hand.

"Catch ya later, Boing." Maya smiled, then followed her best friend back into the ballroom.

Josh just stood a minute, watching them go and sipping his lemonade until he felt a slap on the back and two voices call out to him.

"Hey, kid." Shawn greeted.

"Hi, Joshua." Katy said right after, though _her_ hands remained in their spots, one in Shawn's arm and the other rubbing her belly soothingly. "You did a fantastic job." She added.

"You really did." Shawn agreed. "Very impressive."

"Thanks." Smiled timidly, feeling his face turning pink again.

"So, that song... was it about anyone in particular?" Shawn asked knowingly as Katy tried to hide her smile.

"Actually... yes." Josh replied. "You should know, that I wrote it about my feelings for Maya."

"Shocking." Shawn retorted, not sounding the least bit shocked.

Josh shook his head as his face turned a deeper shade of pink, then took a breath and said, "In all seriousness, I do have a question that I would like to ask you two."

"All right, shoot." Katy answered.

"Well, you obviously know that I have feelings for your daughter, that I care a great deal about her..." Josh began, trying to find the right words.

"That we do." Katy smiled.

"It's kinda hard to miss." Shawn teased.

"Well, I was thinking that one day, in the future, if Maya and I got together someday... would you guys be okay with that?" Josh finished nervously.

"Wait a minute," Shawn said, growing serious for a moment. "are you asking us for our blessing to date Maya?"

"Yes, I am." Josh said, feeling more confident all of a sudden. "I mean, I don't know what is gonna happen in the future, but if the moment does arise and we find ourselves ready to take the next step, would that be okay?" He asked again, eager for an answer.

"Josh," Katy replied, moving the hand on her stomach to his arm, where her daughter's had been only minutes before. "if the moment does arise, that would be _much_ more than okay." She finished with an encouraging smile.

"Really?" He said somewhat surprised.

"Really." Shawn nodded. "You're a good guy. She'd be lucky to have you."

"Thanks," He grinned, the color of his cheeks now creeping into red territory. "but I'd be the lucky one."

At that, the lights began to blink, signaling the show was about to resume in a few minutes, so Josh headed backstage and Katy and Shawn bought a bag of cookies before returning to their seats.

Once Katy was comfortable, Shawn turned to Cory who was sitting on his other side and told him about the little conversation he just had with his little brother.

"Oh, those two, they are somethin' aren't they?" Cory asked.

Shawn nodded and queried, "You think they will have their someday?"

"I do, Shawny, I do." Cory smiled.

"Me too." Shawn agreed. "In fact, I'd _bet_ on it."

The men proceeded to share a conspiratorial look that said they were about to make things a lot more interesting.

2 Years Later...

Maya was in Riley's room, sitting at the bay window, playing with the golden chain around her neck as she stared thoughtfully at the two charms that dangled from it: a small diamond studded heart trimmed with gold and a golden capital M. It was a Christmas gift from Josh who had put it together himself, picking out the charms especially for Maya. She had been blown away at his thoughtfulness and hadn't stopped thinking about him ever since. Although, to be honest, the necklace had little to do with that. She pretty much always had Josh on her mind ever since they reconnected when she was in middle school, which only increased as they grew closer over the years during high school and now college.

Riley was primping for the new years eve bash, making sure her lips were perfectly glossed for the perfect new year's kiss she was going to have at midnight with her long time boyfriend, Lucas. Capping her tube of pink lip gloss, she caught a glimpse of Maya out of the corner of her eye, turned around in her vanity chair to face her best friend and said,

"Seriously, how aren't you guys a couple yet? Riley asked exasperatedly.

"What?" Maya replied confused, yet amused.

"I'm sorry, let me rephrase that... _why_ aren't you guys a couple yet?" Riley tried again. "I mean, we've been in college for a year and a half now at the same school as Josh and neither of you two have made a move yet."

"We're friends, Riley." Maya assured.

"Yeah, because you _had_ to be, because he was older and you couldn't be anything more, but now you _can_." Riley stood up and began walking toward Maya. "Yeah, he's still older... but so are you, so the age difference... it isn't such a big deal anymore." Sitting down next to her friend, she placed a hand on her shoulder and said, "It's _time_ , Maya."

"Riles, I appreciate what you are trying to do, but I think it's best if Josh and I just take things slow for now." Maya responded.

Riley smirked as she said, "You have never taken anything slowly in your life, especially when it comes to Uncle Boing."

"Well, that was before, when I was younger, but like you said, I'm older now and with age comes experience, and If I learned anything from my past experiences, it's that losing someone important to you sucks."

"You're not gonna lose Josh." Riley told her, reading between the lines.

"Not if I take things slow." Maya stated.

"But I know you, Maya, you want to be with Josh... as _more_ than just a friend."

"Of course I do, but if I tell him that now, and he rejects me..." Maya trailed off.

"Why would he reject you?" Riley queried.

"Well, we have been friends for a long time now, he might see me as more of a sister figure... like you."

"Trust me, he doesn't." Riley assured, thinking back on all the lingering glances and touches she has witnessed between Josh and Maya over the past few years.

"Even he doesn't," Maya began. "he may still feel like he's too old for me, and if he does and then rejects me, it will ruin everything. Our friendship will become awkward and eventually nonexistent."

"Or you could stop thinking of the worst and consider that just maybe _he_ wants to be with _you_ just as much as _you_ want to be with _him_." Riley replied, and as Maya thought on that, she added, "After all, he did buy you a diamond necklace."

"The diamonds aren't real." Maya retorted, lifting the charms in question.

"Maybe, maybe not. You won't know for sure until you ask." Riley said, giving Maya a serious look that said she wasn't just talking about the necklace.

Understanding her double meaning, Maya said, "I just wish there was a way to make _him_ ask _me_. I mean, if he made a move, the pressure would be off me, and I would know for sure how he feels."

"So, you wanna put the ball in his court, so to speak?" Riley questioned.

"Exactly." Maya answered.

"Well, what if you ask him how he feels without actually asking him?" Riley asked with cheeky smile.

"And how would I do that?" Maya inquired.

"I have an idea." Riley told her confidently, a mischievous look on her face as she did so. "But first, let's get you ready for the party.

Josh was speechless when Maya entered his brother's living room. She wore a grey, fitted sweater dress lightly covered in silver sequins with black leggings and grey ankle boots. The bottom half of her blonde curls hung down her back, while the top half was pulled back, save for a couple tendrils that framed the sides of her face. All that combined with the natural make-up look she always wore took Josh's breath away. His favorite part was that the sweater dress had a v-neck, which showcased her necklace, but not just any necklace, the one he got her for Christmas. All together, Maya looked stunning, making Josh's stomach whirl with excitement.

As they made eye contact, Maya broke into a smile and made her away toward Josh.

"Hey." She said sweetly.

"Hey," He repeated back. "You look gorgeous."

"Thanks." Maya replied as he cheeks flushed a light shade of pink.

"Baby girl, can you watch your brother for a minute." Katy called from the kitchen.

"Sure, mom." Maya said, then gave Josh a nod and smile before sauntering over to the dining area and scooping up little Shawn Jr. up from his high chair and tickling his belly. "Hey, SJ. Did you miss, sissy? Did you?" She cooed.

Josh couldn't help but grin as he watched Maya play with her baby brother. Honestly, he couldn't help but grin as he watched her do anything, but this sight got to him more than usual, making him kick himself for not asking her out yet. Josh had planned to for Christmas but chickened out at the last minute. He was too afraid she would turn him down. They had made such great strides over the years as friends that Josh didn't know if Maya would still be interested in taking things to the next level. All he knew for sure was that he didn't want to lose her.

"Josh?" A familiar voice called from behind him.

"Yeah?" Josh replied, shaking away his inner turmoil as he turned to find Lucas staring at him. "What's up, bro?"

"Not much. Have you seen Riley around?" Lucas asked.

Josh pointed toward the kitchen.

"Thanks." Lucas answered and headed off in that direction.

Josh sighed, taking one last look at Maya, then left to find his nephew, who was probably glued to his Xbox as usual, and distract his brain with some mindless video games.

After a long evening of food, fun, friends, and family, the new year was only minutes away. Five to be exact. When Riley took note of the time on her cell phone, she nudged Maya and whispered, "It's time. You ready?"

"As I'll ever be." Maya retorted before getting up to get her red and green plaid coat.

Riley gave her hand an assure squeeze, then stood with her friend and yelled, "All right, everybody! Time to head up to the roof!"

The group excitedly grabbed their jackets, hats, and gloves and exited the apartment one by one, ready to ring in the new year. Once everyone was gathered on the rooftop, Riley spoke up again, "Attention, everyone! Maya has something she'd like to share with us."

All eyes turned to Maya, curious to see what was going to happen next.

Maya stood on a small platform clad in her winter coat with her gloveless hands holding onto a guitar Riley had given her years ago. She took a deep breath then said, "I came across this song the other day, and I wanted to share it with you, the people I care about, to remind you all that as we let this new year begin, we shouldn't be afraid of letting new opportunities begin." Maya gave a soft smile then readied her guitar before adding, "I'm not the best musician, but... here goes nothing." With a playful shrug, she began strumming. A beautiful chord rang out, then she repeated it a couple of times until she sang out the first set of lyrics to the small crowd.

 ** _"Time went fast,  
Time went fast till it was gone.  
You think it's right,  
Think it's right until it's wrong..."_**

Everyone was immediately captivated by her voice, especially Josh. He briefly caught her eyes as she sang the next bit and got a chill as it all began to sink in.

 ** _"Even after all this time I still want you,  
Even after all my mind put me through..."_**

After that, Maya avoided his gaze as she sang on for the next couple minutes, getting into the heart and soul of the song. She didn't look at Josh again until she got to the end. At this point, she made direct eye contact with him, blue eyes on blue eyes, and sang the last section of lyrics.

"I want to be your end,  
But you gotta let it begin.  
 ** _  
"So won't you,  
Won't you let it begin?  
So won't you,  
Won't you just say when..."_**

Maya hit the last note beautifully with her voice, then continued on a few moments more with the guitar still looking at Josh's face, trying (and failing) to read his expression. Once the song officially came to an end, her friends and family clapped and complimented her music skills. As Cory and Topanga started passing out champagne and sparkling grape juice, Maya made her way over to Josh who stood off to the side with his hands in his pockets.

"So... What did ya think, boing?" She asked hopefully. "Did you-"

Before she could finish, Josh took a step closer, cradled her face between his hands and pulled her into him roughly as he crashed his lips onto hers. Out of instinct, she grabbed his arms and held tight as she kissed back. The kiss didn't last very long before he pulled back and stared into Maya's twinkling eyes. He was trying to figure out what to say when Maya spoke first.

"I take it you liked the song then?" She asked timidly.

With a soft chuckle, Josh answered, "You could say that." Maya grinned, then Josh went on, "I take it you liked the kiss then?"

Maya's smile widened before she replied, "You could say that."

Josh smiled just as big then moved his hands to the sides of her shoulders, slid them down her arms, and intertwined their hands.

"Look, Maya, that kiss... that's something I've been wanting to do for some time now. I just didn't know if _you_ wanted it, and I didn't want to ruin our friendship -"

"I know, I get it." She said sweetly, giving his hands a reassuring squeeze. "I've been thinking the same things. That's why I sang that song. I wanted to return the favor. You promised me someday once, and I wanted to let you know that I'm ready to let it begin... right now. So what do you say, boing?

"I say... close your eyes." Josh responded.

Maya quirked a brow, but complied anyway because she figured another kiss was coming. After her eyes fluttered closed, she waited. Instead of feeling his lips on hers, she felt his fingertips graze the back of her neck and unclasp her necklace.

"Josh-" She began to complain.

"Just trust me, and keep your eyes closed." Josh told her.

"Okay, fine." Maya said reluctantly, and though she couldn't see it, she was pretty sure Josh was smirking at her annoyance.

A few more seconds went by, and then she felt Josh reclasp the necklace around her neck.

"Okay, you can open your eyes now." He said finally.

Maya did exactly that and found him standing there bashfully with his hands in his pockets.

"What was that about?" Maya queried as she reached up to stroke the charms, checking to make sure they were both there, but to her surprise she felt a third charm and glanced down to see a golden letter "J" dangling from her chain in front of the others. "For Josh?" She smiled knowingly.

"Yeah, it was supposed to be on there initially, but when I chickened out on telling you how I felt at Christmas, I took it off because it would have been weird for you'd to wear it otherwise, but now I think it's quite appropriate." He said sweetly.

"Well, thank you... I love it." Maya said as she admired her newest charm. "But you know, I never pegged you for the possessive type." She teased, gesturing to golden "J" around her neck.

"I'm not, it's just... now that we've finally gotten together, I want the whole world to know." He smiled as he wrapped his arms around Maya's waist.

Maya responded by wrapping hers around his neck and saying, "I think they do." She gestured behind him with a nod of her head to their friends and family staring at them with an array of wide grins, happy claps, and thumbs up.

The couple blushed as they laughed at their family's reactions. However, before any comments could be made, Topanga's voice rang out, "Everybody grab a drink! One minute til the new year!"

Josh and Maya reluctantly broke their embrace and walked over to the group hand in hand. Topanga handed Josh a plastic flute of champagne and Maya one with sparkling white grape juice. Still smiling and holding hands, they made their way closer to the roof ledge to get a better view of the ball drop in the distance as did everyone else. Coming up behind Cory and Shawn, Maya and Josh saw Cory putting a crisp, twenty dollar bill into Shawn's hand. Shawn was smiling as he checked the bill's authenticity, then stuffed it into his coat pocket as he said, "Pleasure doing business with you."

Cory frowned like SJ when you take away his blanky and replied, "Man, I was _so_ close! You two couldn't have waited _one_ more minute?!" The last bit was aimed at Josh and Maya, who looked confused for a moment until it suddenly clicked.

"Did you have a bet on when we would start dating?" Josh asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, and I was _this_ close to winning it!" Cory whined, lifting his hand and pressing his thumb and forefinger together so that there was only the smallest sliver of space between them.

"Mom!" Maya yelled, catching Katy's attention who had been standing nearby fixing SJs jacket.

"Yes, baby girl?" Katy drawled.

"Did you know about the bet?" Maya inquired.

"What bet?" Katy answered uncertainly.

"The bet these knuckleheads made regarding our dating status." Josh informed her.

"They did what?" Topanga chimed in, toned surprised.

"Shawn Patrick Hunter!" Katy scolded.

"What? We won." Shawn said, holding up the newly acquired bill, earning himself an disapproving headshake from his wife, though he could have sworn he saw a tiny smile.

"Wait, Cory lost? Topanga queried. "But my team never loses."

"By a minute!" Cory complained. "I just needed _one_ more minute!"

All four adults began to bicker back and forth until Josh interjected.

"Stop it!" They all suddenly got quiet and looked at him. "It doesn't matter who bet what or when because the real winner here is me... and Maya, because we have finally found our someday."

"To someday?" Josh said looking at Maya as he lifted his drink.

"To someday." She smiled, clinking glasses with him, remembering their conversation from years ago at the NYU charity music fest.

"Awww!" All four adults said in unison, the women and Cory getting a little teary eyed.

Maya was about to kiss Josh for his sweet sentiment, but as soon as their lips were mere centimeters apart, Riley popped up behind them with Lucas, ruining the moment as she exclaimed, "10 seconds everybody!"

They all had a good chuckle at Riley's purposeful poor timing then began the countdown.

10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Everyone held up their glasses in salute to the new year while Auggie helped SJ throw some confetti in the air. They all cheered, hugged, and gave well wishes to each other. Of course the couples shared kisses too, both old and new.

After things died down a bit, Amy and Allen went back to the apartment to go to bed. Katy and Topanga took their champagne flutes and put them in the cooler then got refills for themselves and took in the precious sites of their family and friends around them. Cory and Auggie were entertaining Shawn and SJ with some close up magic tricks. Meanwhile, Riley and Lucas were on the other side of the roof, dancing to nonexistent music, completely lost in each other. Not far from them, the mothers caught Josh and Maya Kissing as they gazed at the stars above.

"They are so sweet." Topanga cooed.

"Yeah, they're cute together aren't they?" Katy asked, not really needing an answer.

Topanga provided one anyway, saying, "The cutest."

Pausing to sip there champagne, the conversation got quiet for a moment.

Suddenly Topanga spoke up again, frowning, "I can't believe our husbands would bet on their relationship."

"Me either. It's just plain rude." Katy responded.

Another silent moment passed until...

"I bet you 50 bucks he proposes before graduation." Topanga replied suddenly.

"You're on." Katy nodded, smiling mischievously.

The two women sealed the deal with a clink of their glasses, then decided to leave the couple to their private moment and head back over to their husbands to check out a different type of magic.


End file.
